The seemingly endless movement of Welsh internationals continued on Tuesday with one crossing a border while another – Andy Powell – was said to be switching codes to play with Wigan as a prop. Wigan refused to admit that the 31-year-old was joining them but Scarlets were far more open, confirming the expected move of George North to Northampton.

They said the deal, which is thought to involve compensation of around £250,000 was completed at the weekend while news of Powell's move came from his current employers, Sale, their director of rugby, Steve Diamond, announcing: "Andy won't be with us next year. He's signed for Wigan for three years, although I don't know the in-depth details of the contract."

Powell, who played rugby league as an amateur, came close to converting two years ago with the now defunct Celtic Crusaders. Instead he moved to Sale but Tuesday's unconventional announcement from Diamond marks yet another turn in a remarkable career that started with Llandovery and has included periods at Leicester, Béziers, Cardiff Blues and Wasps as well as 23 games for Wales and a tour with the Lions.

His Wales career went off the rails when he celebrated victory over Scotland in 2010 with a 6am jaunt along the M4 in a golf buggy borrowed from the resort where the team was based — he also received a 15-month driving ban — and Wasps let him go after a brawl at a Shepherd's Bush pub.

Less controversially Bath will announce on Wednesday that Peter Stringer, capped 98 times by Ireland when he was with Munster, is to join them full-time. The 35-year-old scrum-half is coming to the end of a second loan period after short deals with Saracens and then Newcastle, where he first worked with Bath's director or rugby, Gary Gold.

Stringer's deal is likely to trigger another announcement that the South African scrum-half Michael Claassens will leave Bath in the summer, probably for Toulon, who have also re-opened their stalled negotiations with the Leicester prop Martin Castrogiovanni.